Parallel Destinations
by Ajalea
Summary: Zoro isn't looking forward to Christmas. Not at all. For instance, he has to travel across the country to reach his destination by train and if that isn't tiring already, his new drinking buddy is a blond who acts weird right from the second they meet. Unbeknownst to Zoro, they have quite some similarities. (ZoSan, day 17 of the ZoSan Christmas Exchange) Please enjoy


**So, this is my piece for the ZoSan Christmas Exchange, It's day 17 already (gosh, it's almost Christmas!). Most of all, I want to thank my amazing beta, Stirlingphoenix and my lovely friend Thisfairytalegonebad for getting me where I am now :3**

**Thank you 3**

**Please enjoy~**

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><p>Zoro was glad that he didn't have motion sickness. He looked out of the carriage he was currently in, and saw the train moving rapidly through the scenery. The train had already been underway for a few hours, but Zoro had spent most of that time finding his own sleeping compartment and some well-needed rest Now, he could clearly see the landscape getting whiter, and even with the sun starting to set, the falling snow blocked out the colors. It was winter after all, so Zoro shouldn't have been surprised over the weather and yet, he was. Zoro lived near the west-coast, and it barely snowed over there. When snow did fall, it melted away in no time. This time, on the other hand, the snow remained on the ground, forming a cold blanket for the ground beneath.<p>

Swiftly, he moved to one of exits, only to enter the next carriage. Zoro hoped he was going the right way and stopped to look around again. He was told that he could find something to eat in the last carriage, where there was a small restaurant. It had been a long day of training, teaching, packing, and finding the train station. Zoro had finally boarded this train just before it left the station, and he hadn't had any time to eat yet. On top of that, he had fallen asleep the moment he laid down on the small bed in his compartment and instead of a quick powernap, his eyes had remained closed for a few hours. That may have been because he hadn't slept enough the night before, and the exhausting training he had put himself up with earlier that day.

It would take a whole day for the train to cross the country to Zoro's destination. A long ride, and Zoro absolutely wasn't looking forward to the trip nor the destination itself. Leaving the building where he worked and lived wasn't something he looked forward to, and certainly not when Christmas was around the corner. Christmas always left a foul taste in his mouth for some reason.

After a heavy sigh and a last good look around to see if he went the right or the wrong way, Zoro stepped into what he thought was the right direction.

… To Zoro's dismay, of course he had gone the wrong way. Maybe Zoro himself had already realized that, but was too stubborn to go the other way before reaching the end. There still was a small chance he actually was going in the right direction When he got to the control room, even he understood that it was time to turn around. People looked at him funnily when he walked back. Zoro tried to ignore it.

_There's nothing wrong with taking a walk_, Zoro tried to tell himself.

In the end, he arrived after dinner time at the last carriage. At least the bar was opened and Zoro took a seat. Next to him was a guy, who was already drinking wine from a fancy glass. He noticed Zoro was looking at him and they greeted each other.

A bartender who obviously had dipped his hair in the wrong bucket of paint took his order, and Zoro stared at a point in the far distance for a short while. From the corner of his eye, Zoro could see the guy next to him move around on his seat. All around Zoro, people were talking about useless things. Zoro could only hear fragments, but what he did hear wasn't interesting at all. He let out a yawn before starting in on his drink.

In the back of his mind, a small voice screamed that he shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, as he hadn't eaten yet. Complying with the voice, Zoro grabbed the nearest bowl of nuts and shoved a few in his mouth. With that, he tried to convince the voice that his stomach wasn't empty anymore. Whether it agreed or not, Zoro didn't know, as he ignored it and focused on his drink.

Zoro sat quietly for some time, his mind was blank and his glass was refilled when empty. He noticed behind him that people moved and talked, but he didn't really care. Actually, the only thing he did care about was the cold glass in his hands. He knew the blond next to him had been staring at him for a while now, though until now he hadn't said anything yet. With the intent to get rid of the guy, Zoro looked him in the eye. Much to his surprise, he literally could only look the stranger in one eye. The other one was covered with long blond bangs, along with half of his face. Both didn't say a word, Zoro frowned at the blond, whom only stared back at him. A few seconds later, Zoro returned to his original position, choosing to ignore his neighbor, in favor of staring at the wall behind the bartender. The blond, on the other hand, kept watching Zoro as if something was wrong with him. Knowing someone was looking at him, Zoro couldn't avoid his presence anymore and he snapped.

"What are you staring at? I'm not some kind of zoo animal," he hissed at the blond.

Not only was the other guy not impressed by Zoro's snarl, but he also answered very calmly. "Your hair," he replied while pointing at Zoro's head.

Zoro was stunned. Why would someone now, of all times, talk about his hair? And why did it have to be this guy? Zoro grunted to himself and sighed before turning again.

"There's nothing wrong with my hair, you…" Zoro looked at the guy to come up with something to insult him with, "you curly brow."

The man's eye widened in surprise at the nickname he just received. Within seconds, he came up with an insult of his own for Zoro. "Mosshead."

"Dartboard."

"Patch of grass."

"Wilted sunflower."

"Moldy sandwich."

"Stalking creep."

"Christmas tree."

Unfortunately, Zoro didn't have a proper comeback for that last one. "Alright, I'll let you win this time." He put up his hands in defeat.

The blond smiled brightly after hearing he'd won and Zoro unconsciously upgraded the blond from wilted sunflower to a live one. The sunflower's smile was bright, and the pink cheeks he had received from drinking the wine made him look even cuter.

The moment Zoro realized what he was thinking, he reprimanded himself for thinking such a thought. To force that thought away, he emptied his glass. Like magic, another one appeared in front of him while the used one disappeared into the shadows behind the counter. It occurred to Zoro that might explain the curly brow's flushed cheeks, because the same seemed to happen to his neighbor.

For the time being, Zoro let the blond celebrate his small victory and stayed quiet.

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><p>"So, what are you doing here?" The blond asked after a silence that felt like forever.<p>

"Getting a drink, what else?"

The other grunted. "That's not what I mean, you mosshead. I meant where you are going?"

Zoro grinned. "You should have said so from the start. I'm going to my foster father's to spend Christmas at his place."

"'s that so? What a coincidence, me too."

Zoro lifted his eyebrows in surprise and amusement. "Wait, you're visiting my dad too? That is a coincidence indeed."

That made the blond laugh. Zoro could see he already had had some drinks before Zoro joined him. There was A blush starting to form on Sanji's cheeks already. He pointed at Zoro with his empty glass still in his hand. "You're a funny guy."

Zoro eyed the blond. "And you are getting drunk really fast."

The stranger looked at his glass. It was empty. "Hmm, I guess I am."

Both remained silent for a few moments. Then Zoro let out a sigh.

"I'm Zoro by the way."

The other nodded slowly, staring at the wall in front of them. "Sanji," he said.

The awkward silence returned at full strength, and Zoro tried to think of other things to talk about with this guy he just had met.

"So, you're going to your parents too?" He finally dared to ask.

Sanji sighed. "Same as you actually. I'm visiting my own foster father for Christmas. It's the only time of the year that shithead can get me to come home."

"If you don't like him, why are you going?"

"Christmas is really lonely if all your friends are doing other things and I kinda miss that old man." Sanji shrugged. "And it's not that bad, I mean, I can handle him, but it's just that his only talent is getting on my nerves all the time. Makes me want to kick him into the afterlife sometimes."

"So why don't you?" Zoro went on cross-exanimating.

Sanji let out an almost desperate laugh. "'Cause I fucking can't, that's why." He saw Zoro's confused expression and added, "He's the only one who can beat me in a fight."

Zoro nodded slowly, already contemplating about what to talk about next, but Sanji spoke up again.

"Tell me about your dad. I've told you about me, you might as well return the favor."

Zoro emptied his glass for the umpteenth time– he had lost count after his first drink – before telling a story that was more than Sanji had asked for.

"I was raised by my foster father, Koshiro. He is the head of a martial arts school, so he kinda got me into martial arts and above all, into kendo. His wife had already passed away by the time he adopted me, so I never knew her, but I heard from everyone that their daughter, Kuina, looked a lot like her mother." Zoro stopped momentarily to think back to when he was still a child. Sanji opened his mouth to say something, but Zoro shut him up with a gesture of his hand and continued.

"Kuina and I had some kind of rivalry. Both of us always fought to be the best."

Sanji frowned and tried to speak again, though Zoro ignored it and went on talking. "She was a strong fighter, even as a child, and I couldn't win a single time from her."

This time, Sanji was able to interrupt. "Where is she now? Won't she spend time with her dad around Christmas?"

Zoro produced a sad smile in response to Sanji's questions. "She died when she was 10. Fell from the stairs and broke her neck."

Sanji's eye almost rolled out of its socket, his pink cheeks turning white. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry for asking!" He responded to the sudden announcement.

"It's not like you knew or anything." Zoro shrugged it off.

"But still-" Sanji started and Zoro interrupted him immediately.

"Let me finish my story, okay?" He asked. Sanji closed his mouth to show he would shut up for the rest of the story and nodded, asking Zoro to go on.

"After Kuina's death, Koshiro's world stopped, I think. I think, in his mind, he wished his daughter was still alive, and he tried to act like it too. It was painful to see, so the moment I finished high school, I moved out and got a job in the city where I have been living for the past five years. The only times I go back home are when it's Christmas, and rarely for a friend's birthday. But when I come home, it's not me Koshiro wants to see, and he acts like that too. It makes me feel really uncomfortable. Kuina is the only thing he can talk about."

"Well, that sucks," Sanji commented.

Zoro grinned. "You could say that, yes."

Sanji was lost in thought for a moment. He seemed to have an internal discussion, which Zoro didn't want to disturb, so he waited patiently and finished another glass.

"Shall I tell you my life story too, now we're at it? It's not like I have something better to do anyway."

Zoro hadn't realized Sanji was done talking to himself; he was too focused on his drink.

"Sure," he replied, not really knowing what to expect.

"If Zeff would never say that I was adopted, I'd say we're bound by blood. Zeff is my foster father, and maybe it's because I grew up with him, but I know we're so similar, it's actually kinda creepy." Sanji looked at Zoro. "I never knew my parents, you know, and ever since I can remember, he has claimed that I was adopted by him. I tried asking a few times if I could get in touch with my birthparents, but he always avoided the subject like crazy." Sanji breathed a few times before going on. "Anyway, Zeff is one of the best chefs at the east-coast and like you, I learnt everything from him. He taught me everything and yet we can't do anything but insult each other 24/7. One day I just couldn't take it anymore and I left. It wasn't really Zeff's fault though, more the other shitheads working with him. Every now and then, I visit the old man and his restaurant, to let him know I'm still alive and kicking."

"So you're saying that you think Zeff is your biological father?" Zoro asked.

Sanji shrugged. "He might be, though I probably will never know for sure. Stubborn old man." He muttered the last few words under his breath. Sanji attempted to reach his wine glass, but he ended up missing it completely.

Zoro huffed, which didn't go unnoticed by the blond. They shot glares at each other until the bartender subtly moved one arm between them to remove the invisible strain. After that, they returned to normal.

Again, Sanji was the one to break the silence between them. "I'm usually not as talkative as I am now though, and certainly not to people with moss on their heads."

Zoro decided it was best to let that comment slide. It would be wrong to start a fight with a drunk. Not because he was starting to get drunk too, it was all Sanji's fault. The voice in the back of his head popped up again, this time about 'an-empty-stomach-causes-you-to-get-drunk-faster-problem', and for the second time that day, Zoro ignored it.

They chatted about other things too. Now that they knew that their parents were a taboo topic, and with the subject being sensitive, both avoided it as much as they could. Zoro found out Sanji was a real talker and his tongue had gotten quite loose after drinking copious amounts of alcohol. He mostly talked about his job he had at a small restaurant, the customers he served, and his plans on becoming even better than his father. That made Zoro interrogate Sanji and with a bit of prying, Sanji told him he may even be aiming for the world's best chef.

Zoro told Sanji of his precious swords and how he got them, that one of them had been Kuina's, and the other three he won through competitions, but one had been stolen and destroyed by someone who hated Zoro. Zoro also talked about the classes he taught, and how kids were very enthusiastic about learning how to defend themselves. It amazed Zoro how much he revealed about himself while talking to Sanji, but Sanji did the same thing to him, telling a lot of embarrassing stories about himself from when he was young. Their conversation blocked out everything that happened outside their little bubble.

* * *

><p>Suddenly, Zoro's eyelids felt really heavy and when he looked around, he noticed the empty spots where people had been sitting just a minute before. Zoro had been so taken in by his 'little' chat with Sanji, that he hadn't realized the time. There wasn't a clock to be seen, so he had to guess that it was really late. Zoro judged from the look in Sanji's eyes that it was time to go. He carefully pulled Sanji off his seat and before he could fall over, Zoro had Sanji leaning against him to keep his balance.<p>

"Come on, let's get you to bed," Zoro said. He was lucky he had a high alcohol tolerance, and he was sure that even he couldn't get lost on a straight path.

After trying to get behind the bar counter, the men found their way to the exit of the restaurant-carriage. Zoro pulled Sanji along with him, trying to ask which one of the doors led to Sanji's bed, so that he could drop him off. The only problem was that Sanji couldn't really answer for himself, he was just blabbering about something insignificant and it really annoyed Zoro. At some point, Zoro had enough of Sanji's rambling and fetched the key from one of Sanji's pockets, which had a small chain attached to it containing the room number. A small huff of relief escaped his lips when he realized that their destination was not far anymore. Zoro was still dragging Sanji along with him, and it was really tiring. Sanji wasn't really helping either; he wasn't able to stand on his feet properly.

They arrived at the right door without any further problems, and Zoro opened it with the key he got from Sanji's pocket. There wasn't much room to move, but it was enough for Zoro to drop Sanji on his bed, close the door and leave the keys in a place where Sanji could find them when he woke up. The blond had fallen over on the bed and was lying in an awkward position, though he didn't seem to mind. He was lying on his side with his legs still on the ground, making it really funny for Zoro to look at.

Zoro sighed to himself. "You really need someone to care for you when you're drunk, huh?"

Sanji appeared to already be sleeping, but he produced a small queaking sound. Zoro didn't know what the sound meant. Careful to not wake the blond from his slumber, Zoro took off Sanji's shoes and socks for him and after some consideration, he undressed Sanji partially. He slid off the jacket Sanji was wearing and removed the tie that was currently being wrinkled underneath its wearer. To prevent the fabric from wrinkling any more, Zoro placed both pieces of clothing on what appeared to be Sanji's suitcase.

Zoro easily lifted the other's legs to slide them into bed. He bent over Sanji to see if he really was asleep, so that he could leave for his own bed.

For one moment, he let his guard down while checking up on Sanji, and that became his downfall.

Literally.

From one second to the next, Zoro was lying in the small bed next to Sanji, who held him extremely close to his own body. Before Zoro could react, Sanji was holding him in a tight hug. During this occurrence, Sanji's eyes had remained closed.

"You're warm," Sanji breathed against Zoro's hair. "Also, your hair smells nice."

"Thanks, I guess?" Zoro didn't really know what to do with the compliments. "But you're warm too," he tried.

"That's really kind of you, thank you." Zoro thought he could hear the sincerity in Sanji's voice. He wondered what the blond would think about this when he was sober. Maybe he'd forget by then. Only time would tell.

Sanji interrupted Zoro's train of thought. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to, you know," he murmured.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro questioned, knowing perfectly well what the other was saying.

Sanji opened his eyes and raised his head to look at Zoro in another awkward position. His eyes were a little shiny, but honest. "Your dad. If you don't want to go to him or don't want to talk about your deceased friend, you don't have to."

"Nah, it's not only sadness. He's a kind man and I know he loves me and that he only wants best for me. I'm the only one he has left too; he doesn't deserve to be alone." Zoro answered earnestly. "Besides, it's not that bad." He mimicked Sanji's earlier words from when they were still at the bar.

"I guess it's the same with me," Sanji pondered and put his head down on the pillow. Then he asked a completely different question out of the blue.

"Can you stay with me?"

Zoro guessed it was the drunken Sanji talking. "And then what?" He asked the blond.

"Nothing, just until I fall asleep." Sanji smiled to himself quietly and moved even closer to Zoro, who remained where he was, resulting in a perfect spoon.

"I guess." He would never admit it, certainly not to Sanji, but it felt nice to have someone next to him at the moment. For the first time in a long while, Zoro felt at ease. Even if Zoro wanted to escape, Sanji still had a strong grip on him. The blond muttered something a few times, though Zoro didn't understand what he was saying nor to whom. Shortly after his request, Sanji had fallen asleep, snuggled up against Zoro and breathing softly.

At first, Zoro tried to break free of his human prison, but he soon gave up because he too was tired, and he wanted to sleep very badly. It took a little longer than Sanji, but nevertheless, Zoro too, fell asleep quickly.

* * *

><p>Sanji woke up feeling that something was missing. He didn't know exactly what was different, but it felt weird. After opening his eyes, he couldn't see anything different from when he had left to eat in the restaurant. Unfortunately, he could barely remember anything from returning to his compartment or falling asleep with his clothes on.<p>

Slowly, all pieces of his memory from the night before returned to the blond. The realization of what was missing hit Sanji like a wrecking ball. That green-haired guy really was nowhere to be seen, and it felt like he had never been here, like it had been a dream.

A small note was lying on his jacket and tie, which were laid down gently, Sanji could tell that it hadn't been him, but the other guy whose name he didn't remember. It sounded a little like 'Zero', but it wasn't that. It was the only sign that man had been here. His shoes were next to the bed, but his socks were nowhere in sight.

"Maybe they got lost," Sanji hummed to himself.

Curious, he went back to the note and picked it up. A name, phone number and some words had been scribbled down in a neat handwriting. Sanji looked at the name, and complimented himself for getting the name almost right. The last line on the piece of paper made Sanji smile for a bit. With this, visiting Zeff wasn't such a big issue anymore.

_Roronoa Zoro  
><em>_xxxxxxxxxx  
><em>_Let me know if you need to hide a body._


End file.
